Deskunk Your Dog Using This Recipe

I HAD THE JOY OF DESKUNKING MY DOG AT 3AM AND THOUGHT THE RECIPE I USE COULD BEAR SHARING.

Some people use tomato juice, which can be really messy and stain your clothes and even light-colored dogs’ fur. Thankfully, most people have these ingredients handy in their homes, so you won’t have to run to the store in the dead of night.

If you have never smelled a freshly-skunk-sprayed-dog, you may not even realize that a skunk is to blame for the potent, acrid smell radiating off of your dog. Fresh skunk spray smells nothing like what we think of as “skunk”. The closest I can come to describing it is “the smell of burning batteries + the smell of the taste of chewing on a mouthful of raw garlic.” Your eyes will water, believe you me.

Check your pup’s eyes for redness or irritation. Chances are, the skunk sprayed him or her right in the eyes, so flush them with cool water (but don’t use the sprayer, for goodness’ sake!). Your poor dog will probably be drooling, and maybe even vomiting. It will pass.

Wash your dog outside, if at all possible. If not, you may have a lightly skunky smell in your house for weeks.

Wear disposable gloves, so the smell doesn’t transfer onto your hands.

Mix together:

1 quart of 3-percent hydrogen peroxide
1/2 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing soap
Rub in and let sit for a bit. I wait around 5 minutes before rinsing. I usually have enough mixture left to repeat the process. Then I give her a good scrub down with her regular shampoo.

Here’s the challenge: your dog probably got blasted right in the face, but you must be careful not to get the mix in your dog’s eyes. Spot applying with an old wash rag can help here. Due to the difficulty in removing the stank from her face, her head then has a faintly skunky aroma for a couple of weeks. Oh well, at least she’s cute!

You may be tempted to pre-mix some solution and keep it on hand, but resist the urge – it could explode if left in a bottle.

If you get any stank on your clothes, just add a 1/2 cup of baking soda to your regular detergent in the wash.